The Labour Party and Europe 1950–71

Abstract

On 3 October 1971 at its Annual Conference at Brighton, the Labour Party committed itself, by a predictably large majority of 5,073,000 votes to 1,032,000, to a policy of opposition to Britain’s entry into the EEC on the terms negotiated by the Conservative government. This Conference decision was the culmination of a shift in opinion in the party, which had taken place throughout the year. The opening of 1971, however, saw the Labour Party still formally committed to a policy favouring entry, provided adequate terms could be negotiated.